A day after his 16th birthday, Palo Alto sophomore quarterback Keller Chryst showed the kind of poise that would make a 16-year NFL veteran proud.

Chryst shook off a brutal first half to lead the defending Open Division and state champions to a 20-6 home victory over Leland -San Joseon Friday. After throwing nine incompletions and four interceptions in his first 17 pass attempts, Chryst hit senior B.J. Boyd for a pair of long second-half touchdowns that were too much for the out-of-sync Chargers offense to overcome.

“This was the first playoff game of his life, and we maybe asked too much of him at first, that’s on us coaches,” veteran Palo Alto coach Earl Hansen said. “But that second half was huge. Those were difficult throws and he stepped into them knowing he was going to get hit.”

Trailing 6-0 after a pair of Tim McLaughlin field goals, Palo Alto (9-2) didn’t adjust its strategy in the second half. Instead, the Vikings’ most explosive player asked Chryst to subtly adjust his throws.

Boyd told Chryst to put more heat on his deep balls because he was losing jump-balls to Leland’s bigger safeties.

“I told him I’m faster than their cornerbacks,” Boyd said. “So just throw it a little behind them, and it’ll get to me.”

Chryst obliged, stepping up in the pocket to hit Boyd in stride with a 37-yard touchdown strike early in the second half. On a night when it rained steadily, the Vikings kept the ball in the air — and kept their fortunes in their sophomore quarterback’s hands.

He responded with another touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter, a 42-yard floater to the front left corner of the end zone that Boyd hauled in with a leaping catch.

“We know B.J. can make plays like that,” Chryst said. “It feels good to give these seniors at least another week.”

On the opposing sideline, one of the best seasons in Leland’s history came to an emotional end. The Chargers opened their season with eight straight wins, but lost twice in the last three weeks.

While defense was an issue in a loss to Oak Grove, it was the offense that never got going Friday night. Senior Chris Santini rushed for 82 yards but Leland’s trademark balance never materialized. Senior quarterback Jason Habash was intercepted twice and completed just one pass for positive yardage.

“In the second half, we probably should have made a couple of adjustments on offense, because they adjusted to us and we just weren’t getting the yards we usually get,” Santini said. “Palo Alto played great defense, give them credit.”

Both defenses were in control for much of the night, but once the Vikings got their passing game on track, everything clicked. Senior Dre Hill rushed for 127 yards in 25 carries and scored on a 1-yard run on fourth-and-1 early in the fourth quarter.

Chryst took over from there, and capped his 169-yard night by hitting Boyd for a crucial 18-yard gain that kept the clock running. Even the normally reserved Hansen couldn’t help but flash a wide smile when asked how good his 6-foot-3 sophomore quarterback can be.

“We’ll see — he’s just a sophomore,” Hansen said. “But this is a pretty good start.”

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